Whispers of Change
by NorthernMage
Summary: Can one event define a person? A million little things make up who you are. A series of events taking place in the childhoods of the characters from Silence of Division, and into the beginning of the story. Silence of Division should be read first before reading this story.
1. Betrayed

**NorthernMage here! Firstly...**

**Yes. I know I haven't posted much recently, but I've been working on this for literally ages. Months, in fact. Secondly, for anyone watching for a Too Twisted To Be Home update, hopefully that story will be updated soon. Also, I've just started Ghost of the Gallows, so that will be updated as well, don't think that because I've started this story I'll just forget about it! The chapters for this story have already been written, so now it's just editing some of them.**

**I'll be including ages at the beginning of each chapter, but it will mainly only extend to Renina and N.**

**Betrayed: At first she thought it was what she said. But she realised it was what she was.**

**Age:  
N: 1  
Renina: 0**

**Lithana: NorthernMage doesn't own Pokemon or FTL.**

_Lithana's POV_

I watched as my bag was loaded onto the ship. There was a conference of the Federation and Plasma Empire, which would discuss many topics, like FTL travel impact and laws needed by it and intergalactic alliances. With any luck, I would be able to ease the hatred that was directed at the separate united systems. I looked behind me, where Renina, N and Ghetsis were. Renina had been born a few months ago, and N had recently turned 1, just before Renina was born. This would be the first time I left either of them for longer than a few hours. I was going to be away for a week.

'I'll holoplate home each night to check on how you're managing them.' I told Ghetsis, who just sighed.

'I'll be fine. Just go.'

'Ok.' I looked at Renina and N for a second longer before walking over to the ship. As I walked on, the ship's door closed and I sat down as the last few pre-flight checks were done. _They're going to be fine, they're going to be fine. Sure, Renina was only just born and N only got on solid food about a month ago, but they'll be fine. _I took a deep breath and watched as the ship took off, taking me to the planet Artipali.

That night in my room, I looked at the pictures that had been taken over the last year on my holopad. N starting to walk, when I walked in on him and he had fallen out of bed and was hugging a soft toy, and then one time N hadn't exactly, well, held anything back after eating. I shuddered at the memory of _that_ one._ I can't wait until he can use the toilet._ I clicked through a few more pictures of N, including one where he was trying to eat some of his hair (God knew why he'd attempted that), when I reached the more recent pictures of Renina. She was adorable, and in a picture she had fallen asleep against N, who was just staring at her like he'd never seen another human being before. The next one was a video. I pressed play and it began. Renina was asleep against N, her mouth wide open. N kept looking from her to the camera and back again, eyes wide and mouth open. It looked like he was silently asking "What is this strange creature? Why is it so chubby?" He poked a cheek, and Renina stayed sleeping. He stared at the camera then back at Renina, and poked her cheek again. Still no reaction. Then he tried poking her again, but missed and when Renina's mouth opened for her to yawn, his finger went in and her mouth closed, trapping his finger inside. Judging by the look on N's face, Renina was investigating the new item in her mouth with her tongue. He tried pulling it out, but for a newborn baby, Renina had a very strong hold. Eventually she giggled and N fell backwards, the finger now released. The video ended. _They're so young, and practically best friends._ I changed to the call program, and tapped Ghetsis's name at the top.

I waited. No answer. Probably couldn't get to it in time, I decided. I rang again. Still nothing. Now worried, I tapped the icon a third time and this time I got a very worrying message. _'The number you are calling is not available at this time. The number you are calling is not available at this time. The number you are calling is not available at this time...'_ I stared as the message repeated itself over and over. _Come on Lithana, it's probably nothing._ Slowly I put the holoplate down. _I should go and eat. We'll be arriving tomorrow, and I need to be ready._

That night, as I ate, I heard some of the ship's crew talking.

'Did you hear about the new baby?'

'Are you kidding? Of course! The amount of media attention on it was borderline illegal.'  
'Yeah, there was a lot. What did they end up naming her?'

'I don't know, but I hope it wasn't something strange again. They named their first kid N or something, didn't they?' There was laughter.

'Yeah. Kinda stupid, isn't it?'

'Who even does that? When he meets anyone else his age, it'll be like sending him into a shark den.'

'I have got to agree with you there. It's not our place to judge, though.' Obviously many people were curious about us. As far as I knew, we weren't very open. I never bothered to try and make us more open though. When I had become pregnant with N, Ghetsis had taken complete control of what people would know, and even later when I had Renina, I hadn't tried to interfere.

I smiled as I walked into my room on Artipali a day later. Atiris' allies-some my close friends-were all talking, waiting for me to arrive.

'Lithana!' Kilna, who was part of Iriclul's democracy, hurried up to me. 'It's been ages since I've seen you!' We had known each other for years before I had married Ghetsis.

'Kilna, pregnancy isn't an ideal condition to be flying around space during. I couldn't even take one step outside the senate. Ghetsis decided he'd get the ships moved inside so I could leave if something else happens.'

'Are you sure he wasn't just sick of you?'

'I don't think so. He said it was a security risk or something.' Kilna looked at me.

'Lithana, I really don't think-'

'Mrs Harmonia.' One of Atiris' less close allies came up to me.

'Kudar.' I greeted simply. I knew very well they wanted nothing more than to take me down. After a poll I had had the deciding vote in went against them, they had become my enemy. 'You're here for the discussion on FTL travel, I assume.' Kudar's planet, Dulatin, manufactured FTL engines, so any impacts because of using them would be traced back to his planet in a heartbeat.

'Yes. As you know, it would be beneficial if the votes were in our favour.' There was a moment of silence. 'Also, congratulations on your children. Their names are N and...?'

'We haven't released our baby girl's name yet.' I told him, determined to make sure he knew at the same time the rest of the galaxy knew, and no earlier. With that, he walked off.

'I don't think Ghetsis is a good person for you, Lithana.' Kilna said quietly. I spun around to her.

'What do you mean? Kilna, Ghetsis cares for me.'

'Two years and two kids, Lithana! You weren't even going to have kids for a while yet! That's what you told me. I didn't even know you were pregnant until I heard on the news a baby boy had been born, and he was yours and Ghetsis's son!'

'Kilna, it's fine. I've just been so busy getting used to everything, I haven't had time to tell anyone anything!' Kilna still looked concerned, and just as she opened her mouth, a loud beep sounded. Instantly we all froze, and hurried to the hall where the speeches would begin.

As I sat in my chair later that week, my hands were shaking. It was the third last day of the trip, and I had to get this right. I had to make sure no one saw the Plasma Empire as a threat. 'Representing the separate united systems, Lithana Harmonia.' I stood and took a deep breath.

'Many people see the separate united systems as a warmonger, something that double crosses even allies. This, however, is not true. The Plasma Empire only wants acceptance. We respect the Federation, and simply want-' Suddenly, something slammed into my arm, and everything went hazy. The lights were suddenly too bright, the voices too loud. I fell to the ground, the pain and drug overwhelming me. Foggy faces, now just colours, crowded around me. Black shadows seemed to be slowly pulling everything I saw into their depths. 'No...' I murmured. 'Renina...N...' What was happening to me? I felt as though something was slowly shutting me down. Then, the black shadows stole the last light from me, and everything went dark.

I opened my eyes. _Where am I?_ I looked around, and saw a scene I never thought I'd see. Not only was I in a cell, handcuffed, N was unsteadily walking with Renina, who was being held by Ghetsis. People were walking with him.

'We're so sorry for your loss.'

'If the children need anything, just tell us.'

'Lithana was a brilliant woman. It's so tragic she died only months after her daughter was born.'

Sluggishly, my mind started to put the pieces together. _The drug...it was Alantis Moragan. A fake death. But, in the middle of my speech. _The puzzle was almost complete, and as the clues slotted together, I saw a terrible answer forming. _Someone wanted me out of the picture, and for good. _As I thought this, Ghetsis, who I hadn't noticed had stopped, walked over to me. Everyone else had left, including Renina and N. 'Ghetsis?' My voice was half desperate.

'How dare you.' I flinched, and moved back.

'What are you talking about?'

'Don't play dumb. I know you are half Slug.' That was what this was about?

'Ghetsis, you've known I was half Slug ever since you met my parents!'

'That doesn't mean I accepted it.' What?

'But, you still proposed, and still married me.'

'You really don't get it Lithana. I was waiting for a chance to get rid of you.' With that, he walked off.

'What about Renina and N?' I yelled at him. 'Are you going to get rid of them too?'

'No.' He left the prison, and I looked at my hands. Kilna was right. I had never listened, but if I had, there was a chance I might not be stuck here. Then, the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place, one which sent a scream through me. I'd never see Renina or N again.


	2. Lonely

**Hi, NorthernMage here with chapter 2, Lonely! I'm going to try and upload these faster than I usually update, because a certain person is pressuring me for constant updates. You know who you are, person I will not name.**

**Renina: NorthernMage doesn't own Pokemon or FTL. Took you long enough, NorthernMage.**

**Me: For your disclaimer?**

**Renina: Yeah.**

**Me: Well, N turned up on your day!**

**Renina: Why would he...oh NOW I remember.**

**Me: I may be just a tiny bit screwed here.**

**Lonely: Renina and N are in their own rooms now, but the loneliness is another thing to deal with.**

**Age:  
N: 7  
Renina: 6**

_General POV_

For as long as he could remember, they had shared a room. It had been divided into two smaller ones with a divider that could be pushed away, but it was one room in the end. Renina could call to him if she wanted to talk about something, or if she wanted to pelt pillows at him, which usually ended up in a full on pillow war. She wasn't always the creator of those fights, N had started a fair few as well, but still, she had the sneakiest way of starting them. Pretending she was just asking him about something, then whacking him with a pillow. N stared at the ceiling. They had been moved into their own rooms today, and while it was much bigger and he had been extremely excited about it, this was something he hadn't realised.

Despite the fact she was in the room just next to him, and they had been in the same room for about three years, he was lonely. The room felt too big, and he felt tiny. It was completely silent as well. There was no sound from Renina moving in her bed, no startled cries when Renina accidentally tumbled out of bed while sleeping, and no yelps when he decided it was a good idea to start a pillow fight with Renina while she was happily asleep. Then there was a tapping sound. Confused, N got up and walked over to where it was. It was on the complete other side of his room, where his room was right next to Renina's. The tapping intensified, getting much faster but only a little louder. He tapped back, and there was a quick reply. They kept tapping, and after a while, the taps started to move along the wall, so he followed and ended up on the balcony their rooms had. Renina was on hers as well. She waved.

'That was your idea?' N asked, calling to her.

'Yeah. I got lonely, so I tapped on the wall to get your attention.' Renina said, as the wind picked up and both of their hair was whipped around, blowing into their faces. Renina cleared her face, and waited as N glared at his hair, and viciously pulled it out of his face. Renina looked to the right, and the two watched as all sunlight completely vanished, dipping below the curve of the planet and the lowest buildings. _None of them are ever alone,_ N realised. _They would never feel alone._ He looked at Renina. _But, we aren't completely alone either, even if we feel like we are. We have each other, that has to mean something, doesn't it?_ Sure, it meant something. But in the end, it couldn't match what had been taken from them since birth.

Renina was lonely too. A small part of her was excited about her new room, but the fact she was going to be alone worried her. What if something happened? If she got scared? Of the dark or of monsters? She was worried, and didn't feel like she belonged in her new room. It was huge to her, and had so much that she had never seen before. For example, there was a computer that had lessons on it to teach her things. It was all too new for her, and that meant she was scared. Scared of everything new, and to be honest, she wondered why anything had been changed in the first place. The independence was nice, but why had it all changed? It had been sudden as well. One morning they were waking up, then a few minutes later they were moved.

She was scared of how much had changed, how dramatically her world had changed in a day. As she had been attempting to sleep, she had remembered N was in the room next to her. So she had gone and tapped on the wall, and after a few moments, she got a reply. She moved along the wall, and led N (or at least she had hoped it was him) to their balconies. It had been him, and now she knew that as long as he was there, she couldn't be alone. He had come out to the balcony, and he had talked to her. For years, she had wondered if N was all the family she had. Slowly, she had discovered that she did have family, but not exactly a caring one apart from N. Ever since, she had felt completely ignored, and had resigned herself to being ignored her entire life. She hoped people would stop, though. She could dream.


	3. Shattered

**Hi, NorthernMage here with chapter 3, Shattered! I'm hoping everyone is enjoying this story. However, I can't tell, and if you want to tell me in the reviews, I'm not going to hold you back!**

**Rynhart: NorthernMage doesn't own Pokemon or FTL.**

**Shattered: Rynhart was fourteen when her homeworld was destroyed. It was by far the worst day of her life.**

**Age:  
N: 7  
Renina: 6  
Rynhart: 14**

_Rynhart's POV_

Carinil tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up from my laptop, where I was writing up an essay on space phenomena. Specifically, supernova. It was third period, and I only had a few days before this assignment was due.

'Hey Rynhart?'

'Yeah?'

'Serena, Altini and I are going to the city tonight. Want to come?'

'I don't know if I can. I'll holoplate you if I can come.' I cared for my grades, so I would probably stay out of it if I needed to. Carinil nodded and turned back to her work. The teacher clapped and our attention turned to her.

'Pack up, you'll need to head to your next period soon.' Just as we began to pick up our books and laptop, the bell rang. Thankfully it was a quick process and we were off to our next class moments after the bell stopped ringing.

We walked through the highschool grounds, and as we walked along the path, a loud sound was blasted out from the PA system. _Duh-duh-doo-duh-duh!_ Five beeps. It repeated. _Duh-duh-doo-duh-duh!_ Five beeps meant only one thing. Someone, or something, was attacking the entire planet. All of Helios was under attack. I instantly dropped my books and laptop and started running, as the other girls in my class ran for their homes.

_No! Please no!_ I had arrived at my street, and all the houses were burning. On Helios it wasn't unusual to have small fires. After all, we did live on a planet that had a thin crust, meaning that if someone dug too deep, it was possible for a burst of lava to come spurting out. However, there was a group of about five people going from house to house, and they weren't Astral rescue officers. They wore blue and yellow clothes, while this group wore black suits, and all held guns. My hand slipped into my pocket where my holoplate was, and I dialled the Astral security code. It was basic knowledge to know the code.

_"8945 2457: Astral Security." 'The number you requested is not available at this time. The number you requested is not-'_ I cut off the message, trying to stay calm. _Come on, Rynhart, think. Head home and make sure everyone's okay. _Taking deep breaths, I headed home.

Everything told me to run. Instinct, logic, the state of the planet. I forced myself to walk. _Rynhart Ulamin Catagor, everyone will be okay. Quentin, Taran, and Kalita will be home, and probably laughing at you worrying. Aluni will be worrying as well, waiting for you. Mum and Dad will be calming them down, and checking there are no major outages of anything._ I slowly continued building the image. _Two Astral officers will be there, doing a door knock and making sure no one is hurt. The attackers will be caught, and life can continue on as..._

I had arrived at my house, and I had just heard a gunshot. I abandoned the little self control I possessed and ran like hell.

_...normal._

Even as I entered the doorway, I saw Aluni, the only one who still looked up to me instead of pranking me, slump to the ground. My hands started shaking, and as the man who _had just killed my little sister_ turned to me, I screamed. As he started shooting at me, I dodged to the side and, when I got up and ran at him, he simply pointed a small device at me, and I fell to the ground, and my vision went dark.

'Do you think she'll wake up?'

'She doesn't have any permanent physical damage. She was one of the affected families though.'

'Aren't we all? We're a refugee race now.'

'She's the only surviving member of her family, though. That must be pretty tough, coming home and seeing your family dead on the floor.'

'Dying.' I whispered. 'Not dead. Dying.' My eyes were closed, but deep inside myself I knew that the nightmare that was that man killing Aluni would never leave me.

The man looked at me. 'Do you have an appointment?' I nodded quickly. After I had been released by the Federation ships which had picked up any survivors, I had gone to the one place I knew someone.

'Yes, I made one two days ago.' He looked at the computer for a few moments, searching for it. Eventually he found it, and pressed a small button.

'Go on in. The general is waiting for you.' I nodded and walked into the room.

Inside there was a spacious room, and a large window. A dark-haired woman worked at the desk placed in the middle of the room, typing into the computer. There was a chair in front of the desk. I took a deep breath, and walked up to the side of the desk. 'Ariyta?' She looked at me and gasped.

'Rynhart? What happened to you? Sit down!' I did, and worked my hands together. 'How did you get here? Why did you come?' _I guess it's obvious from how I'm looking something big happened. _I slowly raised my head, and began to tell the sorry story of the last week to the girl I grew up with.

When I had finished, Ariyta was staring at me in dull shock. 'Helios...is gone?' I nodded. Hearing her say it like that made me burst into tears. 'Oh Rynhart.' Suddenly, two arms were around me. I didn't need to look to know she was crying her heart out. 'It'll be okay, I promise.'

'How the hell is this going to be okay?!' I screamed at her, misery transmuted into rage. 'I saw my family killed right in front of me, everyone I know is dead, I don't have anywhere to go, and all you can say is that it's _going to be okay?!'_

'You do have someone.' Ariyta whispered, looking at her hands in her lap.

'Who?' I asked softly, drained.

Her eyes rose up to mine. 'Me.' That single word was like a slap to the face, stunning me into reality. I may not have living biological family any longer, but now I had a larger one. We had all been through the same horror, the quenching of the brightest light. There was no one who could replace my family, but I had something inside me that hadn't been destroyed when I saw my family die.

'You didn't die the day your family did, Rynhart.' Ariyta said quietly. She picked up my hand and placed it over my chest. 'Feel that?' I could feel a soft _thump-thump-thump_. 'You do, don't you?' I nodded. 'That's your heart. You're still living. While you are, so does your family. They live on through you.'


	4. Difference

**Hi, NorthernMage here with chapter 4, Difference. I don't really have much to say for this chapter, except that this was one of the first oneshots I thought of.**

**Renina: NorthernMage doesn't own Pokemon or FTL.**

**Difference: N always came to tuck Renina in, Ghetsis just being painful and ignoring them, but one night N gets sick, and Renina decides it's time to repay the favour.**

**Age:  
N: 8  
Renina: 7**

_General POV_

Renina snuggled deep into her bed, trying to avoid the loneliness and silence of the Plasma Senate at night. It was late, about 8pm, and she felt more alone than ever. That night she and her brother N had had to sit through a massive meeting between tens of people. They both knew the rules: no making a sound or drawing attention to themselves. They were expected to be invisible, unheard and unknown. Even their father, Ghetsis, acted this way, completely ignoring the needs of the six and seven year olds. The only person who cared for Renina was N, and the only person who cared about N was Renina. She was quiet, shy and honestly was scared of most of the people they had to be around. She heard the soft pad of feet coming to her bedroom door, and when it opened, N came in. She relaxed. N always did this for her. Every night, without fail, he'd come in and tuck her in. Ghetsis never cared about them, so it was up to N to take care of his younger sister. Coming up beside her, he pulled the sheets over her better so she would feel safer. He reached over to her and gave her a cuddle.

'You okay, Ri-ri?' he asked, using his nickname for her. She nodded.

'Thanks N.' she said quietly. If it was possible, she would have worked out some kind of nickname for him, but a letter was hard to make a nickname out of. He gave her a grateful smile and left. She looked up to him a lot of the time, and honestly, he never turned it down. He continued on the way to his room, entered and slipped into his bed, falling asleep in a matter of moments.

In the morning the siblings got dressed and headed down to the main gathering area in the Plasma Senate. Today Ghetsis had to go out and was bringing them. Renina was wearing a thick jumper, as it was winter and very cold on Atiris, and N was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants. After waiting for a good fifteen minutes after Ghetsis was supposed to appear, he decided to turn up. He gave them nothing more than a cursory glance before walking past. Looking at each other, Renina and N followed.

It turned out that Atiris was bitterly cold, enough to make Renina pull the hood up on her jumper. Renina tugged on the cords hanging from the hood, tightening them to help keep her warm. Shivering, N stuck his hands in his pockets. They'd been out for a couple of hours, surely they'd be heading back soon. Renina looked at him.

'Are you ok?' He nodded.

'Just a bit cold.' She nodded.

'Me too.' They felt a glare, presumably Ghetsis angered at the fact they were stopping and talking, and quickly hurried along, not speaking for the rest of the walk.

Upon arriving home, they headed to their rooms. Sniffling, N grabbed a tissue. Today had been colder than he had thought, and given it was the start of flu season, he would have to hope he didn't catch anything.

At dinner, sitting next to Renina, the sniffling got worse and eventually resulted in two or three minutes of solid coughing. He got up and left, deciding it might be better to go and sleep earlier. Renina turned around and watched as he walked off.

Renina hadn't stayed long after N left. Without him, it was just Ghetsis, her, and an uncomfortable silence. She pulled the blankets around her tighter. Soon N would come and she'd be able to push away the feelings of loneliness and insecurity. That was when it hit her. N was sick, that much she had been able to tell. Maybe...maybe he wouldn't be coming. She felt scared at the thought for a moment, before she thought of something. Smiling to herself, she swung her legs out of bed and started heading to N's room.

It was surprising how dark the Plasma Senate got at night. Every light was off, and there was complete silence. No one made a noise. Renina was even a little scared of her home, but she continued along. Finally arriving at N's room, she opened the door and slipped inside.

Once in his room, she heard loud coughing. It sounded like he was almost struggling to breathe. Inwardly she cringed. She crossed his room in a heartbeat and entered his bedroom. He was lying on the bed in almost a foetal position, his arms hugging his chest and back curved forward. The movement from coughing had thrown the sheets off him. She went up to him and reached over to the sheets, pulling them over him. She reached over to him and cuddled him tightly. At this his eyes opened. 'Ri-ri?' She nodded.

'You okay N?' she asked him. He opened his mouth to speak, but started coughing again.

'Not really.' he said, eyes watering. Renina's face fell and she started to leave.

'Thanks.' She paused and looked back at N, who had managed to stop coughing for a little bit to talk. 'I'll probably be better in the morning.'

'You don't get sick that much.' Renina agreed, nodding as she left.

Back in her bed, she thought about what had just happened. If she had been sick, she knew that a hug would have made her feel better. So why hadn't it made N feel better? The answer came surprisingly fast.

They were different. She realised she had never really thought that they were different before. She felt a certain way about something, so she thought N felt the same way about it too. Now though, she knew that wasn't true. _We're not the same person, so of course we act and react differently._


	5. Invisible

**NorthernMage here with chapter 5, Invisible! Just so you know, this marks the halfway point of this story, as I've only done 10 chapters. Also, I've used a quote from the Infernal Devices in this chapter. Hopefully I'm not the only one who thinks it fits this chapter perfectly.**

**Renina and N: NorthernMage doesn't own Pokemon or FTL.**

**Invisible: Renina and N are always treated as invisible. If they weren't there for each other, would they actually exist?**

**Age:  
N: 8  
Renina: 7**

_General POV_

_Without him, she was completely alone in the world. There was no one at all for her. No one in the world who cared whether she lived or died. Sometimes the horror of that thought threatened to plunge her down into a bottomless darkness and from which there would be no return. If no one in the entire world cared about you, did you really exist at all?_  
-Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Angel, "The Dark House", page 17

It wasn't good. It never was. Sure, they might be part of the most important family in the Plasma Empire, but how good could things be when your older brother was the only one who acknowledged you existed? Their parents? Yeah right. Their mother was dead, and their father...well, let's not go there.

Renina looked up at her brother. He was blankly looking around the room. She squeezed his hand she held under the table where no one could see. N looked at her and realised why she was doing it. It was days like these when they felt the most alone. She needed someone to realise she was there, someone to confirm she existed even. He had the same problem sometimes. It was the most confusing thing in their lives. They were supposed to be silent, and (technically, even though they were only about seven and eight) be like statues, not show any emotion or move. In short, if they were asked to describe their lives and their hobbies, they could do it in about a minute.

_Who are your friends? My younger sister/my brother.  
Outside your family? None/none.  
What do you mean none? I take care of my sister/I'm all my brother has.  
Do you know anyone your own age? Not apart from her/no, except for N.  
What do you do in your spare time? Either talk with Renina or spend time alone/I might go and talk to N or if its in the afternoon watch the sunset.  
You mean, you have no life, literally? Yes I do. I take care of my sister because we're always told to be silent and emotionless/I have a life. It's just different.  
What about your parents? Our mother died when I was 1 and to our father we don't exist/I never knew my mother and our father ignores us._

They had nothing. Even what they would become didn't ensure anyone actually cared. After all, they couldn't do anything. Not at their ages, not yet. And until they could be of use to Ghetsis, he wouldn't care about them either.

Renina looked out a window. Outside was Atiris, but N and her were always kept away from the outside. It had become a separate place in their minds. She could see the towers, like metal spikes sticking out of the planet. Sometimes she wondered what had built them, even though she knew they were built by humans. They seemed too alien for that, too alien to be simply man made. She heard the sound of chairs moving and her reverie was broken like shattered glass. Renina felt slow and disconnected, and N, sensing his sister's weakness, tugged her along, making sure she kept up with him. Eventually the two split away from each other and went to their rooms.

N looked out at Atiris. He was out on the balcony his room had. It looked so strangely comforting. Especially the light purple above everything. Space. He wondered how long it would be before someone realised he existed, along with Renina. They had no friends, knowing no one their age. Somehow, he could feel that the day would come, but when? How long would they be invisible? _How long can we be treated as invisible, before we are? How long can we stand it? The ignorance, the days with almost no human contact, how can we go through that and still be something for the world?_ he wondered. Inside himself, he was still determined. _You've made it this far, he told himself firmly. You can't give up now. What about Renina?_ His thoughts were redirected at his sister. She had grabbed his hand today, and he had seen the worry in her eyes. _React,_ they had been pleading. _Tell me I'm here. Tell me someone cares whether I live or die, whether I turn eight, tell me you exist too. Tell me I'm real._ And so he had, tightening his grip on her hand so she'd feel the increased pressure and know her life was real. _One day, we'll be out there and not stuck in here. One day, we'll be able to live for the first time._ There was just a long road ahead of them to get there.


	6. Snothead

**NorthernMage here with chapter 6, Snothead! Hope you enjoy!**

**Shop owner: NorthernMage doesn't own Pokemon or FTL.**

**Snothead: Renina and N get out and escape. N eats some of Renina's chocolate eclair. S*#t gets real.**

**Age:  
N: 8  
Renina: 7**

_General POV_

N was crouched by a small air shaft covered by a metal grate that went out of the senate.

'Renina? You coming?' She ran over to him from where she had been waiting for him to appear, just up the hallway in an empty room. She nodded.

'You have the money?' He reached into a pocket and showed her before putting it back.

'Yeah. Now come on, we have about an hour before Ghetsis might come looking for us.' They both grabbed the grate and pulled it off the wall. Renina crept into the vent and waited as N came in behind her and secured the grate over the shaft. 'Ok,' he said, turning to Renina, 'let's go.'

The two had been sneaking out of the senate for around six months. Ever since Renina had gotten lost (the senate was huge for a seven year old, even if she did live there) and felt some warm air coming from an air vent and had found her way back there one day with N, they had been interested in the vent. They had only ever been in certain areas of the senate, and the chance to explore the rest of the senate had been too tempting for them to resist. After a few nighttime trips through the vents, they had realised that although it didn't take them around the senate, it went somewhere else. Outside. For two curious kids eight years old and under, the chance to get outside the senate whenever they chose was irresistible. They had been outside, but to go there whenever they wanted? Completely different.

In preparation for their first escape, N and Renina had looked out of the air shaft for a few weeks, whenever they could make the journey. Making sure they knew how to act had been high on the list, and after that had been getting money, which had meant diving into couches looking for money dropped. Now, after three of their adventures, they knew exactly what to do and where to go.

They had made their way to the exit point of the air shaft. Renina moved the grate to the side and looked around, checking for anyone that could see them. 'It's clear.' she whispered back to N, and then hurried out of the shaft as he crawled out from behind her. The pair stood up and looked around. They were in the front area of the senate, where smaller ships could land. They hurried off, heading up to the higher levels of the city.

'Can we have one of those,' N pointed to a pie, 'and one of those?' This time he pointed to a chocolate eclair in the corner. The woman smiled at him.

'$5.50.' He pushed the coins over the counter, having reaching up to the height of his head to get the money up to her. She gave him two bags, which he took and left with, walking across the roof of the building the shop was on to Renina, who was looking out at the senate.

'Renina, I got them.'

'Thanks.' she said, turning. She took her bag and removed the chocolate eclair. N opened his and as she took a bite, ate his in one huge swallow. Renina's mouth opened in amazement, the half eaten chocolate, pastry and cream still visible. She swallowed. 'N, that pie was bigger than your mouth.'

'No it wasn't.' he mumbled through the pie remnants.

'Yeah it was.' Renina argued.

'I know the size of my mouth better than you do.' he retorted.

'Yeah well, I...' Renina struggled to find a way to combat his comment. Still hungry and wanting to get the last word, N leaned forward and made a huge mistake.

He ate some of Renina's chocolate eclair.

Renina's face turned to one of absolute fury. She _loved_ cream. And chocolate. It wouldn't be a big deal if she had the chance to eat them normally, but as it was, these visits outside were the only chance she got. And she treasured every bite she got. 'Like I said, I know the size of my mouth.' N stated. Finally Renina thought of something.

'Snothead.' she said proudly. N's face was blank before looking annoyed. realising what she meant. Renina began chanting the nickname. 'Snothead, Snothead, Snothead, Snothead, Snothead...' By this point N was embarrassedly putting his hands over his hair, trying to hide it, not that he was having much luck. He turned away and froze.

'Renina,' he began slowly, 'we need to get back to the senate _now_.' Even from this distance they could see the light system that came on at nighttime lighting up Atiris. The system came on about fifteen minutes before they ate dinner, which meant they had to run. Fast.

'Crap.' Renina hissed and they started to run like demons were chasing them back to the senate.

Five minutes later, Renina and N crawled out of the air shaft, and hurried to where they ate every night.

Ghetsis was already waiting for them when they arrived. Both of them were ignored, and as they ate, acting as though one of them hadn't just not only stuffed a pie down his throat along with a chocolate eclair, Renina noticed something by the corner of N's mouth. Part of the cream had spurt out of the eclair when he had bitten into it, and was now painfully obvious. She kicked him under the table. His head whipped in her direction.

_What is it?_ he silently asked. Renina pointed to her mouth, then him. His head tilted to the side, not understanding. Renina made a face and mimed wiping her mouth, then him. N then looked hurt.

_My face isn't _that_ messy!_ he mouthed.

_THE CREAM,_ Renina mouthed back to him. His eyes widened, and quickly he destroyed the remaining evidence he may or may not have eaten a chocolate eclair. As they returned to eating, Renina smiled to herself.

_N really cares, doesn't he? He's my brother, but we're friends, and I can do that. Even though I've only been outside of here a few times, maybe, this thing isn't too hard._


	7. Outcasts

**NorthernMage here with chapter 7, Outcasts! I swear, the amount of times I just want to high-five N and Renina in this chapter...anyway. Let's get to the story!**

**Guard: NorthernMage doesn't own Pokemon or FTL.**

**Outcasts: The Slug are being thrown out of the galaxy-and Renina's Slug genes are awakening.**

**Age:  
N: 12  
Renina: 11**

_General POV_

Something was about to happen.

The senate had been more active than usual, and with the added guards, they hadn't been able to sneak out like usual, to their combined frustration.

Well, they couldn't sneak out of the senate. Around it was a completely different matter.

'Do you want to go this time?' N asked Renina as they looked at the air vent that would take them to the room that had been under guard for a good fortnight now. They were in the corner of Renina's room, and they had managed to move the bed to uncover the vent with a lot of pushing. Renina shrugged.

'Sure. Why not?' she replied, removing the cover and climbing in, banging her head on the roof. 'Hey N?' she called back to him.

'Yeah?'

'Can you even fit in here anymore?'

'Well, yeah, I guess.' N came and showed her, but both of them could tell it was getting a bit harder for him. 'At least you can fit easily.' he told Renina, who nodded.

'I might not be able to for much longer either, though.' She crawled into the vent, and out of sight.

A while later, Renina turned a corner and looked down through a grate into a room where all the activity had been around. The hallway before it had been completely covered in security cameras, and when they hadn't known what was going on earlier, they had nearly been questioned, until the guards realised who they were, and just told them to stay away. The voices were hard to hear through the grate, and from the height she was at, it wasn't easy to see who was down there. After a few minutes it became easier, because they started talking one at a time.

'We don't know what this could produce! It could create a war!'

'Or it might not, and protect us!'

'There's likely things they know, and might be willing to share with us if we're diplomatic with them!'

'King Ghetsis, what do you think?' Instantly the entire conversation (it was more of an argument to be exact) fell silent. _Here it comes,_ Renina thought, inwardly sighing.

'Are there any obvious benefits to us by keeping them?'

'No, but-'

'Since there are none, we get rid of them.' She could hear chairs being pushed back.

'But what if there's retaliation from them?' the first voice demanded.

'We retaliate back.' As all the people started to leave the room, Renina began to crawl back along the vent. _Who were they talking about? N might have a better idea._

When she got out of the vent at the other end, N wasn't waiting there like usual. They had agreed to wait for each other when they did this. She went out into her main room and looked, but he wasn't there either. As she went and moved her bed back into place, she knew what she had to do.

Now lying on the bed, she grabbed her holoplate, and quickly dialled N's number, and started to message him.

_N?_

_Renina! Are you back?_

_Yeah. Where are you?_

_I heard a lot of people coming, so I went back to my room._

_Oh._

_Anyway, what did you hear?_

_They're thinking about getting rid of someone. It must be someone powerful, because one of the people there was worried about a war._

_Just going to take a stab in the dark and say that wasn't Ghetsis._

_Duh. Who do you think they're thinking of getting rid of?_

_No idea. Hang on, did you hear that?_

_No, what was it?_

Suddenly the holoplate ran out of battery, and the screen went black. Great, just great, Renina thought as she plugged it in to charge.

As night fell, and N ate the dinner that had been dumped in front of their rooms, his mind went back to what Ghetsis had been talking about. _What's going on?_ he wondered. Honestly, he was kind of sick of the way Ghetsis treated them. They were people, not machines that could be just _ignored. _Suddenly, a burst of light lit up outside, and N instantly dumped the food and raced to the balcony. To his right, on her balcony was Renina, who looked as interested as him to see what was going on. The entrance to the senate was lit up, and surrounded by guards was Ghetsis.

'The Slug are an alien race. They do not want to help us, and there is nothing useful gained by us protecting them. Therefore, all Slug, and people with active Slug powers, will be exiled immediately from the separate united systems.' He looked to Renina, who stared back at him. His Slug powers had been active for a while now, nearly a year.

_Does he know? _she mouthed to N, her mouth hard to read against the fading light. He shook his head, hiding the fear. It was only a matter of time until Renina's Slug genes started working. Then they'd both be at risk.

That night, Renina lay in bed, looking up at the ceiling. The look on N's face when he looked at her terrified her. She was eleven, but still saw him as everything to her. During one of their escapes outside, she had seen a boy and a girl around their age. The way they had acted with each other wasn't even close to how N and herself acted. _But then, they're not in here. We only have each other. _Slowly she fell asleep, as she had grown out of the need for N to come and check on her at night.

_She was...somewhere. Renina looked around but she couldn't see anything except impenetrable black. Then, everything changed. She was floating in space, stars glittering and planets wrapped in cloud. Instinctively her hands shot to her throat, and after a few moments Renina realised she wasn't going to suffocate._

_She felt herself being pulled, and was suddenly in front of a yellow planet. As she watched, a shockwave ripped through space, knocking her back a little. The planet dissolved into a blazing ball, and as it imploded, ships shot past her, but none showed signs of noticing her._

_Then, she was fiercely tugged amazingly fast towards a planet, and was thrust into a sealed area. Above her was a metal roof, and the ground sloped down in a bowl shape, with a relatively thin rim around it for walking on. A man was securing a large box to a huge pillar, one of three supporting the roof. As she had a closer look at the pillars, she realised they were actually huge pistons. As the man finished, she was pulled far upwards, through the roof, and seeing a building, she realised it had been a room under the building. The building, which was covered by mist, started falling into the hole, and breaking apart._

_Then, scenes started flickering through her mind almost too fast for her to see. A hooded person was changing bullets out of a gun, and inserting some kind of needle instead. They hurried out of the room, and started running down a hallway. Partway down, they entered a room, and climbed into a vent. They crawled down the vent and after a while, they stopped and pointed the gun out of a hole in the wall of the vent. Everything became foggy for a moment, and for a split second Renina's entire vision was taken up by the image of two eyes opening. As the fog cleared, ten silhouettes took it's place. As she watched, one more joined them. Then, she fell backwards, and as she tumbled down, into deep space, she felt like she had plunged into cold water._

Renina's eyes shot open and she sat up, gasping. 'What was that?' she whispered to herself. She felt as if her body was in overdrive, her senses working too well. A horrible thought occurred to her. _What if that was my Slug genes awakening? It can't be, not today!_ She took a deep breath. _Calm down, it could just be a dream._ She looked to her bedside table where her holoplate was charged. She concentrated hard on it, and after a few minutes, it slid over to her. Renina covered her mouth and tried hard to keep calm. _It's going to be fine. Just don't let Ghetsis find out either of us have active powers. _As she slowed her hyperventilating breathing, her adrenaline drained away and she soon fell asleep again, this time without dreams.

When she woke up next, she tried to remember the dream she'd had. _Darkness, then light, a burning planet, a building that was falling into a hole and breaking apart as it fell, someone climbing along a vent and aiming a gun out of a hole, someone hurriedly swapping something out of the same gun, a silhouette joining ten others, and then just eyes opening. That's all I can remember, but I'm sure it was more than that!_ Giving up, she got dressed and hurried to where she ate every morning.

She was the last to enter by a few seconds, and quickly sat down beside N. Time went by as they ate. _When can I tell him? He needs to know!_ Underneath the table, she tapped his leg. His eyes flicked to her. She put her hand on his chair and wiggled it, making it look like a worm, but N got the idea: it represented a Slug. She then tapped the side of her head, completing her message: _My Slug powers activated._ He stared at her in complete shock.

_Fake being sick,_ a voice inside her head said. It sounded like N. She looked at him in confusion. _Telepathy, remember? _she heard, again with N's voice.

_Ok,_ she thought back. In a heartbeat N had started making pained noises, and she followed his lead as they wandered out of the room, pretending they were sick. The moment they were out of the room, they made for Renina's room.

'Are you sure?' N and Renina had been testing out Renina's powers the entire day, but there was still a part of N that really didn't want to admit it. 'It could be something else. I mean, isn't there something about people knowing what the other person is thinking?' Renina sighed.

'N, that's with twins, and rare I think. Even with that, how do you explain the telekinesis?'

'Magnets in the walls of the senate?'

'Why would there be _magnets?' _Renina asked him, stunned but frustrated at his answer.

'Some dumb security reason, I don't know. Practically everything Ghetsis does is for a stupid reason, why not this too?'

'N,' Renina said quietly, 'magnets don't explain my holoplate moving exactly when I want it to.' A small smile spread across her face. 'It doesn't explain how I can do this, either.' Slowly but surely, N started to lift up off the floor. As his feet reached her chest level, he dropped and Renina collapsed, panting.

'Renina!' He ran over to her. 'Are you okay?' She nodded.

'I'm just really...tired.' she mumbled, closing her eyes. Her breathing changed to soft and slow, and N realised she had fallen asleep. He took a look at her, and thought hard.

_I can't get her actually into her bed, but I could try and get her onto the couch. _Grabbing Renina's arms, he pulled her slowly towards the couch in the centre of the room, and eventually got her up onto it. Sighing, he left the room, and went to go and sleep as well.

After the past two days, now that both of them were in danger for the rest of their lives...

He didn't want to deal with Ghetsis for a while.


	8. Released

**NorthernMage here with chapter 8, Released! We're getting closer to the end, with only a few more chapters to go. Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

**N: NorthernMage doesn't own Pokemon or FTL. What is this, the third time I've done the disclaimer?**

**Me: Yeah, but it was a choice between Renina, who's already done a fair share of disclaimers, Ghetsis, who just isn't going to get one, and you.**

**N: Hey, I wasn't complaining.**

**Released: Ever since they were barely more than toddlers they had known that the day would come when they were allowed outside. But what neither of them expected, was it being only N.**

**Age:  
N: 13-14  
Renina: 12-13**

_General POV_

It began out normal enough. Renina lay in bed for a half-second before realising her sudden burst of energy. N's birthday. She scrambled out of bed, and instantly reached under her bed. Pulling out a box, she opened it and checked the present was still in there. N had been complaining about his holoplate randomly turning off, or even just refusing to work at all. So she had saved up every cent she had seen anywhere for the last six to eight months, and the day before, she had managed to get it when they had sneaked out for food, and she had "gotten lost". It was the same type as the one he had now, but it worked. Slipping it under her arm, she went to his room.

When she arrived, N was still completely asleep, his extremely messy hair poking up outside the covers. 'N?' she said, wondering if he was actually asleep. He rolled over towards her, and sleepily looked at her.

'Hi Renina.' he mumbled, before pulling the covers back over him. 'Why're you here?' _Wow, _Renina thought to herself. _He doesn't even remember it's his thirteenth birthday._

'Well, I came here because you know, it's your birthday and stuff.'

'Oh. Thanks.' He didn't move. Renina sighed loudly.

'I got you a present.' This got his attention immediately, and he quickly came over to Renina, and sat up. She passed him the box.

'Happy Birthday.' she said as he tore at the box, anxious to see what was inside. When he opened it, he gasped.

'Renina...how...'

'Is it good?' she asked, a little unsure of how to take his reaction. N nodded, stunned.

'Yeah, but _how_...'

'I saved for months. It's the same one you have now, but I made sure this one works.' N just kept looking from the new holoplate to Renina and back.

'Renina, this is amazing! I finally got one that works!' he cheered, and Renina smiled to herself. 'Is yours still working?' he asked her. The truth was that she didn't have hers anymore, and that she had used the money from hers to help pay for his, so she shrugged.

'Not really. It's worse than yours.' This was true. Any holoplates traded in were usually broken down for their parts. N grabbed his current holoplate, and deleted everything. He then passed it to Renina.

'Use my old one then.' She nodded and they set up their new holoplates in silence, N silently rejoicing on his new holoplate, and Renina thankful she had managed to make him happy. 'Thanks.' N said suddenly, leaning over and hugging her for a moment.

'No problem.' she replied, keying in her holoplate number. Just as she finished, N's new holoplate beeped, and Ghetsis's name came up on screen with a small text: _Come to the main hall alone. There is something we need to talk about._

'What's that supposed to mean?' N muttered. 'He thinks we even trust him anymore?'

'I'm not sure we even trusted him in the first place.' Renina said unhappily. N sighed and stood.

'I better get dressed and do it. See you later.' Renina got up and started to leave.

'Bye.' she called to him as she left.

N was away all day. She tried calling him again and again, but he never picked up. As the sky became dark, she saw two people reenter the senate, lit up by the bright lights that turned on at night. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps go past her room. They entered N's room, and about ten minutes later N came into her room. She moved from the balcony, where she had been looking over Atiris, and saw N. He came and sat next to her. They looked out at Atiris.

'So.' Renina said. 'What happened today?' she prompted, wondering why N was so quiet.

'I went off on my own today.' N said. Renina turned and stared.

'What? With him there and everything?'

'I'm able to now.' N had been glancing at her before, but now he had looked away, and kept his gaze locked on the city. 'That's what today was about. He's finally taking notice of me, and I can leave the senate whenever as long as I come home before 8.'

'That's great! We can finally leave! Took him long enough to let us have some freedom!' Renina said, already planning what she wanted to do.

'Renina...it's just me.' Renina paused, confused.

'What do you mean?'

'I'm allowed out. You're not.' Her plans crashed to the ground, the broken pieces scattering everywhere.

'Oh.' she said in a small voice. 'Well, you can go outside.' she said brightly. 'Any ideas on what you want to do?' N looked to her, a little surprised, and nodded.

'Tons. Did you know there's an entire street full of stores selling food? That's all they sell! The food's awesome as well!'

'I didn't. Are you going to try and eat something from everywhere?' N nodded mischievously.

'I'm gonna eat it ALL.' As N left thinking of how much food he could get his hands on, he heard a sob from inside Renina's room. Soon it became consistent, and he realised that he had made too big of a deal of going outside. _It's all we want, and I just went in there and told her I was the only one allowed outside. She wasn't really happy,_ he thought, _she was faking._ He nearly went back inside when he grasped the fact he couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't fix this situation. So he went to his room, and tried not to think about it.

The next year, N walked into Renina's room the morning of her thirteenth birthday. His hands were empty, he hadn't gotten her a present. That didn't matter this year. They both looked at Renina's holoplate, which was doing nothing. Last year, the message had come at 8:01 am. Now, it was 7:59.

'I swear, if he doesn't let me out...' Renina growled.

'He's so dead.' N completed. Renina looked to him, and nodded once. The clock flicked to 8am.

'He had better be typing it right now.' Renina muttered.

'He won't have it sent if he doesn't.' They watched the clock.

Forty-five seconds...

Thirty seconds...

Fifteen...

Ten...

Five...

Renina flicked to her messages, and pressed Ghetsis's name on the message list. Currently, she had no messages from him. It flicked to 8:01, and they waited. When no message came Renina refreshed, and they started waiting for any messages. After a few seconds, the message arrived: _You are now allowed outside of the senate. You must be back by 8pm each night._ N stood. 'You get dressed, and I'll meet you just outside your room.'

As she did, she checked her bank account on the holoplate. N had told her that his had had about $500 put in it when he was let out. Hers had only $300. She nearly texted N about it, but decided not to. At least she had something there now.

She went outside her room, and together the two went to the entrance of the senate. While N just walked out, Renina paused at the door. 'What's wrong?' he asked, realising Renina wasn't following and turning to her. She just looked at the line in the ground where the door usually closed.

'Nothing.' she said, following him.

'Oh please.' N said as they walked. 'I know something happened.'

'First time I've ever been out of the senate that way.'

'When we were little we used to go out that way with Ghetsis.' N argued.

'Yeah, but this is different.'

'Well, okay.' As N showed her around the city, she realised something. _For most people, this is normal. Going outside, talking to people that aren't your family, it's normal._

That night, Renina stood on her balcony. Instead of bottomless longing, she was filled with content. She wanted to be back out there, but she was allowed outside now. Days like today would keep happening forever. N and herself had dreamed of freedom since they were only about six and seven. Now, seven years later, they had achieved their dream. She'd been envious this past year, when N would just disappear for days. Now she understood why he had. When she thought of how this was nothing special to most people, she remembered when N had come home last year.

_'That's what today was about. He's finally taking notice of me, and I can leave the senate whenever as long as I come home before 8.'_ N's words echoed through her mind. Ghetsis would have to notice them both now, and with notice came the chance that they could stop him from doing things like locking them up, or exiling the Slug. They had a chance now. She turned to see N standing in her doorway.

'He's noticing us now.'

'I know.'

'We can stop him from locking us up, and doing what happened to the Slug. We have a chance.' N smiled slightly.

'We better use it then, hadn't we?' Renina nodded, and in that dark room, the two of them knew that they could do this. It was no longer a question if they were going to stand by and watch.

They wouldn't let themselves be trapped any longer. They had to stand up for themselves. Ever since they had been born, they had been ignored, and that controlled them. 'We'll have to be careful.' N said quietly.

'I know. But if we let him control us by not speaking up, we're as bad as him.'

'We need to know more. Ghetsis' been making sure we don't hear anything he doesn't want us to know. He's been making us into tools.' N muttered, getting passionate.

'N, there's something I think we both need to know.' N looked to her. 'Our mother. Who was she? Was she the same as Ghetsis?' N walked over to her.

'We'll find out.' With those words, the ball was set rolling.


	9. Uncontrollable

**NorthernMage here with chapter 9, Uncontrollable! This one takes place entirely in N's point of view, which is a first for any of my chapters. It's also the only chapter that takes place only in his point of view, so enjoy!**

**Plasma Guard: NorthernMage doesn't own Pokemon or FTL.**

**Uncontrollable: Renina was due home soon after spending six months away. But then the war started.**

**Age:  
N: 17  
Renina: 16**

_N's POV_

_Beep beep, beep beep._

I was awake, but barely.

_Beep beep, beep beep._

Did I have the energy to get up? Yes. Did I want to? Absolutely not.

_Beep beep, beep beep._

I moaned and covered my ears. Five more minutes...

The beeping continued.

_Beep beep, beep beep._

_Come on,_ I thought. _Just move your arm and hit the snooze button. It's right by the bed. _My arm flopped out from under the covers and I felt it hit something. I waited.

_Beep beep, beep beep._

Finally giving in, I pushed myself out of the bed, and looked at the clock, rubbing my eyes as I attempted to wake up properly. It read 8:30am. _Way too early to be up, especially on a Saturday. _I picked up my holoplate and checked to see if anyone had messaged me. I didn't have any messages, but I did have one thing, a calendar alert._ "Six months since Renina left."_

'Wow,' I muttered, 'it's really been that long? Guess Ghetsis has really kept me busy.' Ghetsis was a handful at the best of times, and a nightmare at the worst. Although, what could I expect from a guy who practically locked Renina and I up for the first thirteen years of our lives? _At least Renina will be back soon. She was only going to be away for six months. She'll probably have a few assignments to finish and submit, but she'll be back here. _Standing, I started to get dressed.

As I walked into the room in the centre of the senate, I noticed many people in small clusters, whispering to each other. They didn't look like it was simple chatting, either. They looked worried, and stressed. I walked up to one group, and leant against a pole to the side. They instantly saw me and mumbled greetings, but went back to their conversation, albeit with glances in my direction. After a few minutes of this, I spoke.

'So, what's everyone talking about? Ghetsis pulled something again?'

'Yes, this time more devastating than the last.' said one. My eyes widened.

'_More_ than last time?' Last time had been a particularly bad one, as he had called the Federation Senate a...variety of things.

'This time he's decided words aren't enough to show his hatred.' _This doesn't sound good._

'And...?' I asked tentatively. They exchanged surprised looks.

'You haven't heard?'

'Heard what?' I pressed.

'I would have thought he'd have told _you,_ at least.'

'Told me what?' I asked, standing and walking into their circle.

'The fleet is preparing their weapons.'

'So? Couldn't it just...' I trailed off. 'Why are they starting up their weapons?' I asked, a little worried of the answer.

'Ghetsis ordered the entire Plasma fleet to attack the Federation Capital, Quariane.' _Quariane? _I walked off, hiding my shock.

The moment I had returned to my room, I locked the door and slumped against it, head in my hands. _He's attacking Quariane._ How much of an idiot _was_ he? It would destroy the Federation, and start a war. A war across the entire galaxy. _Why would he be such a damn idiot? Even if he wanted a war, Renina's studying on Quariane! Dammit, she's going to get caught in this, and she was studying diplomacy too. Ironic, if you think about it. But still, why would he do this?_ Did he even have a reason? _Maybe I could stop him. Persuade him to lay low for a while until the Federation is less wary of him. That could work._ I got up and went off to find him.

I knew something was happening the moment I saw guards outside a room. They were armed, and gave everyone suspicious looks. I went up to them.

'What's going on inside there?' I asked.

Glaring at me, one said 'King Ghetsis is inside.'

'Can I go in?' I asked. They shook their heads. I sighed and walked over to the other side of the room, leaning against the wall. This could be a long wait.

I was still waiting hours later when I heard a loud hum start. _Is that the fleet? _I stood and looked towards the sound, which was levels above me. Then the doors opened, and before I could move I heard him. 'Quariane will be destroyed in a day, and I wouldn't worry about survivors. There's no way there's going to be any.'

_Renina will realise something's wrong, _I thought. _She has a chance of getting out of this. It's not like she's a stranger to Ghetsis' plans anyway._


	10. Sacrifice

**NorthernMage here with chapter 10, Sacrifice! This chapter takes place between chapter 2 and 3 of Silence of Division. Basically, it's Renina's story of what happened to her after Rynhart, Markus and Nir left her.**

**Asaria: NorthernMage doesn't own Pokemon or FTL.**

**Sacrifice: Renina was dying, infected with Kirau Olumi. She never thought she'd die. But she only knew it when the rebels arrived.**

**(Now, these small quotes here were the original prompts I used to write the chapters with revised titles in some cases, however I have realised this one makes pretty much no sense in relation to what the chapter is about. The last sentence is supposed to go like this: "But she only knew she wouldn't when the rebels arrived." Just clearing that up.)**

**Age:  
N: 17  
Renina: 16**

_General POV_

The crew of the _Fallen Angel _ran to their ship, pursued by Plasma rebels. The crew barely managed to get aboard and get off Tactarus V. After failing to catch the _Fallen Angel_, the rebels headed to the rundown hospital where, unknown to them, an ex-_Fallen Angel _crewmember was dying.

_Renina's POV_

I lay weakly in the bed. Asaria and the others didn't have a cure for Kirau Olumi. All they could give me was painkillers and very basic medicine. _Nothing like the cure. It'll never substitute._ From far away I heard a voice.

'Renina? Can you hear me?' I turned my head in her direction and tried to force open my eyes. Everything was bright. _It's all too bright, I can't deal with it._

'Hhh?' Kirau Olumi did _not_ mess around when it came to completely destroying someone.

'Are you-' Then I heard a loud crash and another, more worrying sound. Plasma guns firing.

'We have the ability to kill off this entire colony. If you co-operate, we will not harm any of you.' There was a long pause.

'What do you want?' Asaria said.

'Did any of the crew stay here?'

'They were only here for an hour.'

'That's not what I meant. Is any of the crew still on this planet?'

'No.' Asaria was lying, and everyone knew it.

'Oh really.' There was a yelp. 'This child will suffer if you don't tell me whether there really is anyone still on the planet.'

'There's none of the crew left!' I heard the gun be flicked to kill. _I won't let a kid die because of me. _I forced myself up and saw it was a girl around five years old.

'Don't kill her.' I hissed.

'Oh? Why not, none of you will tell us whether any of the crew is left.'

'Because I was on the _Fallen Angel_.' The room froze.

'She's delirious, infected with Kirau Olumi.' Asaria said quickly. 'She wasn't-' A rebel held up a hand to stop her.

'We'll decide that.' I felt myself be grabbed roughly and turned over so they could see my face. _They don't recognise me. I guess that makes sense, no one in the Plasma Empire has seen me for eight months, not even him._ One of them took out their gun, flicked it to stun and shot me. As I was picked up Asaria just stared at me. _She probably thinks I'm insane._ They then carried me out of the room. _It's slow-acting, that's the only reason I'm still conscious._

'Where are you...taking me?' I asked, struggling to speak.

'Ever heard of the _Captivity_?'

'Yeah.'

'Ever wanted to go on it?'

'Not really.' There was laughter.

'Too bad little Federation girl. Too bad.'

We arrived at a small ship on the ground. I was electro-handcuffed, thrown into one of the rooms and after a few minutes the shot from before kicked in properly and I was unconscious.

When I woke up I couldn't see anything. I could tell I was hovering in a containment beam though. I couldn't feel anything holding me up and my head was pointed downwards. _Guess I'm on the _Captivity_, then. Wonder what part of the ship. Detention level would make the most sense. What's going to happen to me now? Someone's going to come sooner or later. It's good they cured me of Kirau Olumi. If they didn't that would be weird. They wouldn't have wanted to get infected, so they would have had to. _I heard a noise at the door and it sounded like someone had come inside the room. I looked up and moved my head around, trying to position myself to hear whatever they had to say.

'What do you know of the information the _Fallen Angel _was carrying?' My heart leapt. _Out of everyone who came, it was him. He probably doesn't know it's me. Doesn't matter. He will._

**That's it! The last chapter of Whispers of Change uploaded! Now, I hope you have enjoyed this story, and I hope to see you all again in another fanfic.**


End file.
